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I tend to feel at a loss for words….so I bake. I baked cupcakes, I baked pumpkin cookies and I baked a dulce de leche cheesecake. I put love into every bite and I hope that my friends feel nourished and comforted…. …And feel the sentiments that I am only able to convey with my humble gesture cast in flour, sugar and butter.
Sunshine and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!
It was one of those mornings today; the Midwest in the middle of winter, early and I was outside with the dog. The sun was shining and it was in the mid 30’s and I got a whiff of something that I hadn’t smelled in a long time. It was the smell of wet earth and green stuff; life just below the surface. It caught me short. I could hear birds. It absolutely rejuvenated me. This winter will not last forever, we will feel the sun on our faces again and there will be smells. Baking oatmeal raisin cookies seemed the natural thing to do; chocolate chip, too. The girls would come home from school to a house filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies and when they forgot to shut the back door I let it stay that way for a little while; the sun streaming in, just like it was Springtime or something.
Ingredients: ½ pound (2 sticks butter) Method: Heat oven to 350F
Posted in: Indulgences, Ingredients, Recipes Tags: cookie ecipe, cookies, oatmeal, oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, raisins
This recipe comes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen who has a new vegan cookbook out; Vegan With a Vengence which features 150 vegan recipes including desserts, cookies, main dishes and snacks. These look amazing to me and I am anxious to try this recipe. Recipe courtesy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz These bars require a good overnight chilling to really firm them up before slicing, so plan accordingly. Tip: You’ll want to use only sweetened, fluffy white flaked coconut for these. Save the natural shredded stuff for a healthy curry. Tip: Press the graham cracker crumb crust like crazy into the pan; the more you pat it down the firmer the resulting crust will be. Ingredients One 14 oz can (regular or lite) coconut milk (about 1 3/4 cups) Method In a large saucepan whisk together coconut milk and brown sugar over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixture may form a thin skin on the surface; just stir it back into the liquid. Remove from heat and let cool while preparing the crust. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine and sugar; mix well to moisten crumbs completely. Firmly press mixture into prepared pan, pressing evenly from center to sides of pan. Pour warm coconut milk mixture evenly over crumb base. Top with an even layer of chocolate chips, flaked coconut and nuts, in that order. Firmly pat everything down until coconut milk mixture soaks upward into the toppings. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until coconut is deeply golden and filling is bubbling, remove from oven and let entire pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Transfer pan to the refrigerator to completely cool and firm up for at least 4 hours, even better overnight or until very firm. Use a sharp, heavy knife to run along the edges of bars, slide bars on parchment paper out of pan onto a cutting board then to slice into 24 squares. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. These also freeze well, tightly wrapped and allowed to thaw for 20 minutes before serving.
You can never have too many Christmas cookie recipes. Baking gets everyone into the kitchen, listening to Christmas music and drinking festive cocktails. It is hardly a chore to create family traditions and to make these beautiful little gems for everyone to enjoy. And don’t forget to Put the Love in every bite! Oatmeal Coconut Crisps Makes 60 Ingredients 1 cup flour Method Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and soda – set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in one egg at a time. Stir in flour mixture, vanilla, oats then coconut. Drop by teaspoonful 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on rack. 75 calories per cookie. Orange Slice Cookies Makes about 7 dozen recipe courtesy of Karin Ingredients 1 pound orange slices (candy) Method Mix candy (cut into bite pieces) with � cup flour. Cream margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat eggs and vanilla thoroughly. Beat in dry ingredients. Stir in rolled oats, candy, pecans and coconut. Drop from teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inch apart. Bake at 375F for about 13-15 minutes or until delicately brown. Makes about 7 dozen cookies.
Ricotta Cheese Cookies Ingredients 2 cups of sugar Method Cream well together sugar, butter or margarine, ricotta cheese, eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, mix well. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown on bottom (about 10 minutes). Cool, then ice with frosting. Frosting; cream cheese, 2 teaspoons butter, confectioners sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Dip in red and green sprinkles. The Secret Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe Makes 112recipe courtesy of Laura Ingredients 2 cups butter Method NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES (Recipe may be halved) Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.
The Christmas holiday is upon us and everyday from now until Christmas Eve I am digging out recipes for cookies and baking them for friends and family. I always warm up with some old favorites and work my way to the decorated sugar cookies. I substitute whole wheat pastry flour for the white flour, honestly I just like the taste and the texture better. That they are a bit healthier is just a bonus. The other great thing about these is that you can make the dough and freeze for later use or keep the dough in the fridge for a few days and make yourself some cookies fresh and hot out of the oven any day of the week. Get creative and experiment with different chocolates and other flavors for festive holiday cookies. Recipe Courtesy of Ina Garten Ingredients • 3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. When the cookies are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put 3 ounces of the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don’t trust your microwave timer; time it with your watch.) Stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second increments until the chocolate is just melted. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it’s completely smooth. Stir vigorously until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier. Drizzle 1/2 of each cookie with just enough chocolate to coat it. Million Dollar Peanut Butter Cookies!
The Pillsbury Bake-Off Million Dollar Winner Carolyn Gurtz wins with Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies! Carolyn Gurtz’s Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies
photograph from pillsbury.com Ingredients Procedure 2. In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1-inch) balls. 3. Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls. 4. Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with Crisco original no-stick cooking spray; press into remaining peanut mixture. Flatten each ball to 1/4-inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough. 5. Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.
It’s that pumpkin time of year and the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg fill the house. The batter is really wet and I always use parchment paper on the cookie sheet. I plop them on with a large spoon. I think that these are best when they are on the larger side, like the size of the top of a cupcake. The recipe says the yield will be 5 dozen but I have never managed to get that many. My daughter thinks that there should be more pecans and I agree. They really make the cookie, especially with the penuche. This is one of the best holiday cookie recipes that I have. Be prepared to be popular! Pumpkin Cookies 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar Penuche Frosting 3 tbsp. butter Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup butter until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, vanilla and egg; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2″ apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Immediately remove from cookie sheets; cool. In medium saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar; bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Cool 10 minutes. Add milk; beat until smooth. Beat in enough powdered sugar until desired spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies. Allow frosting to set before storing. 5 dozen cookies. Truly Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies
There is almost no skill more valuable than the ability to make an amazing chocolate chip cookie. I almost wouldn’t believe it myself but these cookies might have magic powers; my daughters will stop fighting and my ex-husband becomes more pleasant just by the very smell of them baking in the oven. Everyone has asked me for this recipe and I have been reluctant to divulge it, however, it is time to move on. Cooler weather is the ideal time to perfect this recipe; by the time the holidays roll around you will have a great hostess gift for friends and family. Some variations I like include adding white chocolate chips and Macadamia nuts. But be careful. Some may consider this sacrilege! Ingredients Method |
